Chris Sale's Drastic Decision Fuels Braves' Clinching Victory

Chris Sale took a decisive step to ensure the Atlanta Braves advanced, convincing manager Walt Weiss to allow him to pitch in relief on two days' rest to secure the series-clinching victory against the Philadelphia Phillies.

In the deciding Game 3 of the wild-card series, Sale entered the game to record the final four outs, solidifying the Braves' advancement. This appearance followed a dominant start in Game 1, where Sale achieved career-highs in playoff innings pitched with 6 ⅓ and recorded nine strikeouts. The Braves ultimately won the series in three games.

Weiss had not initially planned to call on Sale for Game 3, citing concerns about putting him in a position where he would feel obligated to pitch despite potential fatigue. "I was not going to go to Chris Sale and ask him if he could pitch tonight," Weiss told reporters. "I didn’t want to put him in that position because I knew that even if he was hanging, he would tell me yes. So, I was not going to bring it up."

However, Sale proactively approached Weiss as the manager entered his office on the day of Game 3. "Literally as soon as I stepped into my office this afternoon, he was sitting in the chair across from my desk, and he looked at me, and he said, 'I feel amazing,'" Weiss recounted. "I said, ‘Well, let’s talk.’"

Following their conversation, Sale was deployed to pitch, facing the top of the order in the later innings. He threw 21 pitches in Game 3, adding to the 95 he threw in Game 1. Weiss lauded Sale's performance and determination, stating, "Was hoping he only had to go one, but he had to get to four outs. But what a warrior, man. This guy — I’ve run out of superlatives for Chris Sale."

With Sale's increased workload, his availability for a potential National League Division Series Game 2 start against the Dodgers on Sunday remained uncertain, with Weiss emphasizing that the focus was solely on the immediate clinching game.